Of course Dr. King was a conservative.

J. Edgar Hoover, for one, couldn’t stop listening to him.

OMG, a conservative religious figure, what news….

I mean, it’s not like King was a Unitarian minister.

[updated, btw]

Freedom.
That is the American Dream summed up in a single word. We must never give up the fight to make this available to every single American.

Ah, yes! The freedom to totally rewrite history and make shit up. The freedom to set up an oligarchy and the freedom to piss on the poor. The freedom to reward your cronies. The freedom to subvert the rule of law. The freedom to start another war when you’re getting bored.

Those are the freedoms that Dr. King gave his life for. And even if they’re not… well, fuck it.

I’m proud to be a conservative, because these principles of equal opportunity are the very foundation of our beliefs.

Umm…Sadly, No! I won’t even bother with pointing out the myriad, fundamental ways that conservatism have pothing to do with equal opportunity.

And those beliefs are found in the same Christian scriptures that Dr. King believed in.

Umm…Sadly, No! Well yes, they are but again, those scriptures aren’t the ones conservatism obsesses over.

Y’know, I don’t claim to have an inkli9ng of how these folks “think” so I usuall just don’t get it. Are they trying to make an argument that they can’t be racist because they’re Xtians? As I say, I just don’t get it.

So about that sanitation workers strike in Memphis in 1968 … er, which side were the paleocons on?

This pretty well sums up how the conservatives value MLK:

“Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection. Do you need to see it to know it’s ugly?” — Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League

Today, we should all be reminded of his dream that waits to be fulfilled. Not a dream of revenge. Not a dream of restitution. A dream that we will all finally reject racism of any kind, and move forward as one people fighting for the freedom of every single person in the nation.

Aw, look how bad the wingnut wants to be invited to the party- you can practically hear him intoning like some shitbox imitation of the great man himself.

Y’know, I don’t claim to have an inkli9ng of how these folks “think” so I usuall just don’t get it. Are they trying to make an argument that they can’t be racist because they’re Xtians? As I say, I just don’t get it.

It can’t be gotten by usual thought processes, because it doesn’t use them.

A developed brain uses concepts, in which generalized rules like “I would hate to be prejudged because of the amount of melanin in my skin, so I won’t do that,” helps foster overarching rules like empathy and its love offspring, compassion & imagination. This creates a lot of complicated connections, because concepts are capable of being applied in a lot of situations. Jesus said “We should love each other,” is a concept we can apply to anyone we meet, regardless of side considerations.

However, the Xtian brain has realms, which are inflexible and averse to complicated connections. The realm of who they can love is hemmed in with rules that must be memorized, and when they conflict, the memorized rules further sub-divide the thinking processes. Thus, the fractured logic they display is an example of how they try to make all the parts of their brain work together, and fail.

Since so many of their rules are devoid of concepts, rote memorization and reliance on authority figures that relive them of the torment of thinking are overly relied upon.

Thus, Dr. King’s message of inclusion and respect can be seen to fit the conservative worldview because he used the words “love” and “Bible.” Those are “good” things.

In addition, Dr. King is safely dead. He will not be invited to dinner, buy a house in their neighborhood, or say nice things about Barack Obama.

The safe humanitarian “realm” is one in which they can cherry-pick high-minded sentiments, declare their admiration, and not have to worry about actually living them.

Because that’s a different realm entirely.

Um, haha, did Donuhue actually say that? Christ, what a mind…

So the National Review was espousing equal opportunity in 1957 when they wrote:

“The central question that emerges–and it is not a parliamentary question or a question that is answered by merely consulting a catalog of the rights of American citizens, born Equal–is whether the White community in the South is entitled to take such measures as are necessary to prevail, politically and culturally, in areas in which it does not predominate numerically? The sobering answer is Yes–the White community is so entitled because, for the time being, it is the advanced race.”

My head hurts.

The Fact is, Dr. King is a Conservative Patriot, because this Nation was founded as a Christian Nation, by men who were mostly clerics. The Fact is, as a Patriot, he would probably support the Department of Heartland Security, unlike you Liberals, who want Shania Law. The fact is, J. Edgar Hoover was probably really a Liberal, who forced the Homosexual Agenda down the throats of Patriots in the Heartland.

The Fact is…ahh, who the fuck am I kidding? Even I don’t believe this stuff.

I’m proud to be a conservative, because these principles of equal opportunity are the very foundation of our beliefs. And those beliefs are found in the same Christian scriptures that Dr. King believed in.

Sure. How many red-staters are flying their confederate flags today? (In honor of Dr. King, of course.)

Sing along everyone ….

’cause I’m proud to be a conser-va-tive, and you know the world loves me

And I’ll proudly stand up! next to you and hope that you die soon, ’cause I’m proud to be a conser-va-tive, where at least I know I’m a looooooon.

OMG. I thought you were joking.

‘“Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection. Do you need to see it to know it’s ugly?” — Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League’

I have no doubt that Big Bill knows very well what he speaks of.

Bill Donohue’s mind.

Do you need to see it…

Nowhere — NOWHERE — in Scripture are there “principles of equal opportunity”. There’s some “the meek shall inherit the Earth” shit. There’s some “the rich have as much chance at heaven as a camel going through the needle’s eye” punch. A little of the “I’m my brother’s keeper” kind of thing. Overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple, this I remember. I can see King bringing these things up, the lunkheads at Red State, less so.

The Old Testament, moreover, was really fucked up and in no way possible reflected equal opportunity, unless it was to be smited.

Well, Dr. King said that men should be judged by the content of their character. I suppose modern day Republicans really can’t help it if they’re found wanting.

I mean, judged by history, Richard III wasn’t a nice guy, either, right? It’s all just a big misunderstanding.

More or less.

If King were a conservative, the guy who shot him either would have missed entirely or merely winged him. It’s the Conservative/Liberal Principle of Assassinations: The would-be assassin of a liberal is a perfect shot. Someone trying to kill a conservative is invariably hapless/incompetent/lousy with a gun.

I should point out two exceptions to the rule: Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore.

The would-be assassin of a liberal is a perfect shot. Someone trying to kill a conservative is invariably hapless/incompetent/lousy with a gun.

I should point out two exceptions to the rule: Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore.

I’m confused. They both missed a conservative president as well. How are they exceptions to your rule?

Its not like he was a united methodist either. oh wait, bush is a methodist.. uh oh.

Xtian brain has realms, which are inflexible and averse to complicated connections. The realm of who they can love is hemmed in with rules that must be memorized, and when they conflict, the memorized rules further sub-divide the thinking processes. Thus, the fractured logic they display is an example of how they try to make all the parts of their brain work together, and fail.

Thanks WereBear! So Xtianity is like a Sierpinski gasket operating on the solid structure of logic. The sub-dividing goes on for infinity and the result barely limns what was once there. Tanx again!

Karate Bearfighter: Thanks. This is why, when Buckley kicked, all that “genteel sophisticated elder statesman of conservatism” crap made me crazy. The guy was a polysyllabic apologist for Southern race murderers.

As for King, I guess conservatives trying to hijack that “content of his character” phrase means he’s no longer a Communist, right?

Y’know, I’m pretty proud to be a liberal.

‘Cause it would be easy to define tribal groups out of fear of the other. It would be easy to decide that people I couldn’t easily communicate with, people with whom I share no common culture, people who look and dress and talk differently than me are somehow evil, or bad, or determined to take away everything I value in my world.

But for reasons I can’t explain, I chose differently. I decided to embrace people different from me. I chose to ask them about their world, and to invite them into mine. I befriended them, and on occasion I loved them, and I learned from it, and never did I decide this was a mistake.

Oh, sure, one night in an all black bar on 25th in San Francisco (it was called the “L’il Villiage, if you MUST know), I ran my mouth and the denizens of that otherwise very friendly place kicked my ass in a very serious way and threw me out in the street, but none of that was racial, I was just rude. Another night, a few years earlier, in an all black bar on the Berkeley Marina I very happily fought side by side with some very cool folks when a bunch of drunk skinheads came in and couldn’t figure out how to behave themselves.

Wait, where was I? Oh yeah.

I guess maybe I don’t really LIKE my tribe. In general, we’re a bunch of assholes. I like other tribes, and I feel really good when they let me into their circle, and I learn some of the customs and rituals, and feel like I belong. I want to see America become something more, and I KNOW that will only happen as we evolve into a new culture, one that is comfortable with our diversity and one that isn’t afraid of it’s own best hope for the future…

mikey

“Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection Bill Donahue. Do you need to see it to know it’s ugly?”

Fixed. There is an uglier alternative, but I’m not going there.

Anyone who has ever listened to or read the Rev. Dr. King’s work knows that he was a dyed in the wool liberal.

I’m a Libertarian, but I have no problem calling the Rev. Dr. King a man of great genius and vision. The fact that he and I would be at odds with each other over how to deal with things like Welfare does not mean that I have to lie about what King thought.

I’m confused. They both missed a conservative president as well. How are they exceptions to your rule?

I’m also confused, apparently.

The good news is, this just validates my theory even more. Indeed, it is central to my point.

And those beliefs are found in the same Christian scriptures that Dr. King believed in.

So the logic is:

1. Dr. King believed in Christian scripture[s?].
2. RedState Asshole believes in Christian Scripture[s?]
3. RedState Asshole is a neo-con.
4. Because RedState Asshole & Dr. King share one trait they must also share the trait of neo-conservatism.

I see. So it follows that if a guy who:
1. Believes in scripture[s why the fuck is that s there?]
2. Also loves wetsuits and dildos to death
3. Everyone at RedState is a wetsuit and dildo fetishist.

QED, muthafucka.

Also, in the Bill Doknowwho quote, who has the erection? The statue or the guy who is blowing the statue?

Uh, Red State, James Earl Ray was one of yours.

And that was beautiful, Mikey.

Me said,
Someone trying to kill a conservative is invariably hapless/incompetent/lousy with a gun.
I should point out two exceptions to the rule: Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore.

Right. Because Jerry Ford is dead. Took 31 years for the wounds to kill him, but those chicks got ‘im all right. What?

Maybe the rule of thumb is more like:

Those who try to assassinate conservatives tend to be nutbags, while those who try to assassinate liberals tend to be hired and trained by the best in the business.

PeeJ,

Ya made me go look up “Sierpinski” and I was glad.

Yup, that’s exactly it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierpinski_triangle

With the helpful models at the link, one can see how wingnut thought becomes trapped in ever smaller compartments until, like a badly laid out pattern in “Life,” it becomes incapable of sustaining itself, and dies.

Liberal thoughts, then, must be fractals.

And those beliefs are found in the same Christian scriptures that Dr. King believed in.”

Permanent preventive war, tax cuts for the rich, torture on demand, and oh yea,
toe tapping. I’m sure that’s in the Bible. Let’s see, what page is that on…….

By the way (and OT), Assassins is far from Sondheim’s best musical, but it does have one hilarious (fictitious) scene between Squeaky and Sara Jane, as well as a haunting duet for Squeaky and John Hinckley.

But of course, fractals with an actual Hausdorff dimension.

Your moment of Zen Xanax.

Damn.
We sure have missed him. Thanks for the speech Gavin.
La plus sa change….

OT, slightly , below is from an anti-war wingnut in response to a pro-war nutter ,Irishatheart, in the local paper, on a comment thread about anti-war protest a couple weeks ago:

“Back to the whole “kids” debate, any man is a kid until he puts another man in the ground. That is simply how it is. So, yes, even a lot of guys in the military are just kids. Irishbatfart is merely the biggest of all kids, having been given the privilege of being a Marine Rifleman, and wasting it in a time of peace. How sad. Like a load in a tissue, could’ve been something great, but just wound up getting flushed. “

Who says there’s no nuance?

Right on, Mikey.

I spent the last two winters working with mostly Cree chainsaw crews. I’m the ougamau (sardonic term for white boss) with the maps and the Garmin.

Do you know any natives? Are generalizations allowed? Anyway these guys are jokers and very easy to be with.

I was waiting on the other side of a river one time, so as to drive a couple of slashers back to their vehicle. As they were getting in my truck one of them asked, “you sure you wanna let a couple of fucking Indians into your truck?”

“That’s OK”, I said, “It’s white people I have a problem with.”

Karate Bearfighter said,
April 5, 2008 at 1:58

Ah, the Conservative Philosophy in a nutshell.

“It’s mine because I can beat you up and take it from you.”

How does “states rights” translate into “equal opportunity”? How does opposition to equal rights laws translate into equal opportunity?

Conservatives are amazingly stupid.

Liberal thoughts, then, must be fractals.

This blog needs (more) math geek humor. Just like every other blog on the intertoobz. An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician walk into a bar….

“Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection. Do you need to see it to know it’s ugly?” — Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League

I dont need to imagine it, thats the hood ornament on my car.

An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician walk into a bar….

Bartender says, “Is that a slide rule in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

This blog needs (more) math geek humor. Just like every other blog on the intertoobz. An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician walk into a bar….

Then what?!? This maths geek wants to know!

And that knobhead writing the RedState article must have been dropped on his head at birth. Funny, though, that a conservative writer is using the “one common element => all elements must be common”, when what they normally use is “one different element => all elements must be different (and they must be forrin and dangerous)” theme.

Weird. Sorry, I left my vocabulary at work.

Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection.
Sorry. Is the statue of Martin Luther Kind supposed to have the erection? Or is the white guy performing oral sex supposed to have the erection?
Or am I supposed to have an erection while I imagine the scene?
Donohue’s lack of clarity on these crucial details is maddening.

Okay, just cause yer a mathts geek (must a brit or sumpin to boot).

Warning: non mathy geeks don’t even bother.

Digest version: They end up trying to prove the proposition that all odd numbers are prime. Mathematician says “One is prime and odd, the next prime is n+2 = 3 which is in fact prime so by mathematic intimidation [yet more math geek humor – that’s “mathematic induction” for the rest of you] all odd numbers are prime. The physicist, who’s a few fewer beers than the mathematician says “one and three are prime. Five is prime and seven are prime. Hmm. 9 isn’t but eleven is.” There’s ample evidence to show that all odd numers are prime except for 9 which was an experimental anomaly.” The engineer, who hasn’t been drinking because he got suckered into being DD by the other two, says “okay, let me see. On’s prime, two’s prime, three’s prime, four is prime, …”

You were warned!

Also, Smut: Good point. Inquiring minds need to know.

PS – did anyone make there’s a “fuck” somewhre on this page?

From Ad Herennium, on the art of memorising information by translating it into particularly memorable mental images:

We ought, then, to set up images of a kind that can adhere longest in memory. And we shall do so if we establish similitudes as striking as possible; if we set up images that are not many or vague but active; if we assign to them exceptional beauty or singular ugliness; if we ornament some of them, as with crowns or purple cloaks, so that the similitude may be more distinct to us; or if we somehow disfigure them, as by introducing one stained with blood or soiled with mud or smeared with red paint, so that its form is more striking, or by assigning certain comic effects to our images, for that, too, will ensure our remembering them more readily. The this we easily remember when they are real we likewise remember without difficulty when they are figments.

Bill Donohue: Just imagine if a white guy is performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection.
Clearly Donohue is a practitioner of the mnemotechnic art, but the classic authors would be surprised by some of the loci in his Memory Palace

With the helpful models at the link, one can see how wingnut thought becomes trapped in ever smaller compartments until, like a badly laid out pattern in “Life,” it becomes incapable of sustaining itself, and dies.

Liberal thoughts, then, must be fractals.

Er, what?

Sierpinsky’s Gasket is a fractal.

As to the geek humor,

Two male mathematicians are in a bar. The first one says to the second that the average person knows very little about basic mathematics. The second one disagrees, and claims that most people can cope with a reasonable amount of math.

The first mathematician goes off to the washroom, and in his absence the second calls over the waitress. He tells her that in a few minutes, after his friend has returned, he will call her over and ask her a question. All she has to do is answer one third x cubed.

She repeats “one thir — dex cue”?
He repeats “one third x cubed”.
Her: `one thir dex cuebd’? Yes, that’s right, he says. So she agrees, and goes off mumbling to herself, “one thir dex cuebd…”.

The first guy returns and the second proposes a bet to prove his point, that most people do know something about basic math. He says he will ask the blonde waitress an integral, and the first laughingly agrees. The second man calls over the waitress and asks “what is the integral of x squared?”.
The waitress says “one third x cubed” and while walking away, turns back and says over her shoulder “plus a constant!”

Neocons are so greedy, they claim everything for themselves. Except the bad stuff, like fascism, of course.

Sierpinsky’s Gasket is a fractal.

And the penguin said, “No, that’s just some mayonnaise.”

“If you want to imagine the future, imagine a white guy performing oral sex on a statue of Martin Luther King with an erection, forever.”

— Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, revised.

Bwahahahaha! Oh, many thanks, guys: not one but two maths geek jokes, with some extra sexual politics thrown in. 🙂 Plus a penguin joke, and the usual fine snark: my cup runneth over (please don’t attempt to relate this to the penguin, or I’ll throw up on my keyboard).

Two penguins one cup.
What kind of keyboard do you want, Qetesh?

Gavin – thank you for this post.

I’ve never taken the time to listen to this whole speech/sermon before this morning.
Thank you so much for this gift.

Sorry about the sincerity of that last remark, btw. I know it’s embarrassingly out of character here…

um, woozle-wuzzle?

Absolutely great speech. Just towering.

As far as King’s legacy, I figured it might be good to let the man speak for himself:

If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)

I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)

I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.

I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)

I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)

And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)

I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)

I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that’s all I want to say.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong,

Then my living will not be in vain.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,

If I can spread the message as the master taught,

Then my living will not be in vain.

Does that sound like anyone at Red State?

I wasn’t planning to listen to the whole speech, but I just couldn’t stop.

I wasn’t planning to listen to the whole speech, but I just couldn’t stop.

Me too.

Mikey, you left out the part where he says “Also, I support the Contract With America, privatizing Social Security, and ending affirmative action. Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran!”

The definitive work on MLK and conservitives;

http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2007/01/mlk-and-right.html

I need say no more.

^ David Neiwert is a deranged zionist jew; waving the neoconservative flag of neo-America, his American nationalism and firm belief in the “American dream” disgusts me.

MLK is treated nationally as a god before god, MLK is a figure completely incompatible with Christianity; it is no suprise the party of Anti-Christian war, the GOP, would want to own him all to themselves.

The legacy of Martin Luther King is Iraqi children dying in the street from DU poisoning.

David Neiwert is a deranged zionist jew; waving the neoconservative flag of neo-America, his American nationalism and firm belief in the “American dream” disgusts me.

The legacy of Martin Luther King is Iraqi children dying in the street from DU poisoning.

What…the…fuck?